Educational Leadership, Ed.D.

Curriculum

The Ed.D. program requires 60 semester credits above the master of science degree. Students first complete a 30-credit educational specialist program and then begin 30 credits of coursework for the Ed.D. degree. The coursework is organized in the following five categories as recommended by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE):

1. Instructional Leadership
2. Strategic Leadership
3. Organizational Leadership
4. Political and Community Leadership
5. Field-Based Research

A program leading to the doctor of education (Ed.D.) degree is offered in the area of educational leadership. The doctoral program is designed for students interested in leadership issues, as applied to educational institutions. A master of science degree from an accredited institution is required for admission along with other criteria designed to select those students who provide evidence of previous academic success, exhibit leadership skills, have excellent teaching and/or administrative abilities, and show creative energy for solving educational problems.

Admission decisions will be based on a combined evaluation of the candidate’s GPA or previous graduate work, qualifying score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Miller’s Analogy Test (MAT), results of a writing sample, written recommendations, and a personal interview. The following requirements are required for admittance:

1. The candidate shall have earned a master of science degree and an educational specialist degree in educational leadership or teacher leader from an accredited college or university.
2. The candidate shall have earned a 3.70 GPA on all previous graduate work.
3. The candidate shall have earned a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 on the GRE, or a minimum score of 400 on the MAT.
4. Each candidate shall submit writing samples for the purpose of assessing the candidate’s ability to meet graduate school standards.
5. Each candidate must be recommended by his/her immediate supervisor (superintendent, principal) or by a professor knowledgeable of the student’s previous academic and/or work experience.
6. Each candidate must submit a minimum of two additional references, one of which shall be a peer or professional colleague and the other a person knowledgeable of the candidate’s character.
7. Each candidate will participate in an interview with the cohort mentor team for the purpose of assessing the candidate’s leadership abilities and motivation for graduate work.

Admission to the program will be competitive. Decisions will be based on advice from the cohort mentor team and the candidate’s ability to meet admission criteria.

Instructional Leadership Courses

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This degree is open to candidates holding a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. This degree is designed to provide administrators in public and private K-12 schools with advanced knowledge and skills to be successful instructional leaders.